Angelo State University's Department of Art and Music will present its semiannual Opera Music Theatre Workshop program at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Carr Education-Fine Arts Building, 2602 Dena Drive.

Opera scenes from "Don Giovanni and the Marriage of Figaro" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Hansel and Gretel" by Engelbert Humperdinck and "The Elixir of Love" by Gaetano Donizetti will be featured.

The program is free and open to the public.

For more information, call the ASU Art and Music Department at 325-942-2085.

Event to help beat the VA backlog

HOUSTON — The Texas Veterans Commission will host the first "Beating the VA Backlog" event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Sheraton Brookhollow, 3000 N. Loop West Freeway.

Members from the TVC state strike force teams, as well as TVC claims counselors, will be on hand to check the status of pending claims, identify all additional development required for claims processing and collect evidence for cases identified as missing documentation.

This event is open to veterans, their families and survivors. All services are free. Preregistration is recommended. Walk-ins are allowed on a first-come, first-served basis as time allows.

To register, visit tvc.texas.gov/tvc/Beating-the-VA-Backlog. aspx.

Workshop to help handle holiday grief

Hospice of San Angelo's "Help for the Holidays" seminar, a workshop offering suggestions for managing the holidays while grieving, will be from 9-11:30 a.m. Saturday at the San Angelo Vistor Center, 418 W. Ave. B.

For more information, call 325-658-6524.

Catholic youths to gather in city

A conference of Catholic youths from parishes across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas concludes with a Mass that is open to the public. The service will be held at 9:15 a.m. Sunday in the Foster Communications Coliseum, 50 E. 43rd St.

Bishop Michael Pfeifer, of the San Angelo Diocese, will lead the Mass, which is the only event of the weekend's Region 10 Catholic Youth Conference open to the public. More than 1,500 youths are expected to attend the conference, which begins Friday. It is the first time the annual conference will be held in San Angelo.

For more information, contact the diocese at 325-651-7200.

Drug Collection Unit to be unveiled

The Concho Valley C.A.R.E.S. Coalition, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley and San Angelo Police Department will hold a ribbon-cutting to introduce the new Prescription Drug Collection Unit to the community at 10 a.m. Monday at the police department, 401 E. Beauregard Ave.

Those looking for a safe way to dispose of their unused, unwanted or expired medications can use the unit at no cost.

For more information, call 325-481-2718.

Mall gathering letters for military

Sunset Mall's "Holiday Salute to Heroes" is sending cards and letters to service members overseas.

To participate, bring a card or letter with an unaddressed, unstamped envelope to the Holiday Salute to Heroes drop box near the Children's Play Area in Sunset Mall, 4001 Sunset Drive.

All letters or cards must be turned in by Dec. 2.

Faith Club starting Deepak Chopra book

The Faith Club book club will begin a new book, "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore" by Deepak Chopra, at its Nov. 27 meeting.

The Faith Club meets at 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 3 S. Randolph St. The interfaith group, which is open to the public, works to promote peace through understanding, education and building relationships.

Community members are asked to bring a brand new, unwrapped toy, valued at $5 or more for the drive. Donors will receive a coupon from Outback Steakhouse for a hamburger lunch. A list of frequently requested gifts can be found at cactomgreen.org.

Children who benefit from the toy drive have been victims of abuse and neglect and are receiving services from the Children's Advocacy Center.

For more information, call 325-653-4673 or visit cactomgreen.org.

County jail books 12 in six-hour period

The Tom Green County Jail booked 12 people in the six hours leading up to 7:01 a.m. Tuesday. Charges included:

Possession of marijuana — 2

Driving while license invalid — 1

Parole violation — 2

Assault — 1

Failure to appear — 2

To view the entire list, including defendants' names, visit gosanangelo.com.